Washington physicians for social responsibility (wpsr)

Thank you for your interest in Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility. Please review the job description for the Executive Director position and the summary paper on the Washington chapter of PSR. In this dynamic time for our organization, we invite your application.

In addition to providing your CV, please include a letter that describes your strengths for this position and how you are prepared to undertake a role of this scope and complexity. Please specifically address your leadership abilities, particularly in relationship to the role of Executive Director of a not-for-profit organization such as WPSR.
Please send your application to:
Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility

Founded in 1961, Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) has a legacy filled with individuals who have dedicated themselves to prevent the use or spread of nuclear weapons and to slow, stop and reverse global warming and the toxic degradation of the environment. In 1985 PSR as the US affiliate of IPPNW shared in the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to IPPNW for bringing international awareness to the medical catastrophe that would come with nuclear war. The message: There is no cure for a nuclear war, only prevention. In the 1990’s, PSR built on its record of achievement by helping to end nuclear warhead production and winning U.S. sign-on to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.
In 1992 PSR expanded its mission to apply its medical expertise to environmental health issues, in recognition that global climate change and toxic pollution also pose grave risks to human health. More recent efforts have focused on hospitals as major sources of toxic byproducts. In 2006 PSR launched an Energy Security Initiative focused on environmental and security issues, advocating for the development of renewable energy technologies and the reduction of oil consumption.
The Washington chapter of PSR was established in 1979 shortly after the Three Mile Island nuclear plant meltdown in response to the sobering recognition of the catastrophic effects of a full-scale nuclear war on U.S. cities based upon projections first modeled and publicized by PSR’s founding members in the 1960’s. WPSR has continued as one of PSR’s strongest and most effective chapters.
Our members’ tenacity and commitment were illustrated at our recent strategic planning retreat. Of the ten WPSR board members and previous leaders who convened, the attendees represented 190 years of PSR membership, 96 years of service on the WPSR board, and 22 years on the national PSR board. Further, WPSR impressively has contributed three national PSR board presidents over the past several decades. Currently WPSR has about 500 members throughout the state of Washington, including over 200 physicians and a broad mix of other health professionals.
Washington State is home to both the largest Superfund site in the Western Hemisphere at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, and the most lethal concentration of deployed weapons of mass destruction anywhere: the Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, homeport for the West Coast Trident fleet of nuclear weapons submarines. WPSR has a critical and continuing role in addressing these nuclear issues as part of the national debate on militarization and military spending. Because we live so close to these vestiges of the Cold War, WPSR is fully engaged in efforts to address these looming public health threats. We also live in Cascadia, a global model for regional climate restoration. Cascadia is the ecological zone of temperate forests that runs from Northern California to British Columbia on the west slope of the Cascade Mountains. We are among the world's most collaborative and sensitive regions when it comes to recognizing the treasure of this environment and the threats that could destroy it.
Our recently developed Strategic Plan for 2014-2015 is focused on five program areas: the nuclear issues; climate change; environmental toxins; income inequality and livable wages; and our Middle East initiative. The latter issue grew out of our direct involvement with our IPPNW colleagues in Israel and reflects a particular commitment by this chapter to support peace initiatives in the Middle East, which now is reflected in important relationships with health professionals there. Our livable wage initiative reflects the growing support in both Washington and the U.S. for policy changes that address alarming income disparities, and the established relationship between poverty and poorer health outcomes. It also addresses the environmental injustices that result from placing pollution sources and military facilities in poorer communities.